A joint ground test of credit card payments over the Iridium Certus satellite network has been conducted by digital services technology provider, Bluebox Aviation Systems, and FFLYA, a specialist in connectivity.
The test, which the companies say was a success, involved live payment transactions completed on an iPad for the purchase of in-flight entertainment (IFE) bundles from Bluebox’s Blueview digital services platform. The purchases were sent wirelessly from the iPad to a Bluebox Wow portable wireless unit which was connected to the FFLYA router, and that router was connected through a patch antenna to the Iridium Certus satellite network. The payment was then validated by a payment provider, and the purchase confirmed on the iPad.
The companies say the significance of the test is that it validates the use of the Blueview digital services platform to provide live credit card payment transactions over a LEO satellite network.
“We’ve already integrated Blueview with high-bandwidth GEO satcom connectivity, but these are still considerable investments for many airlines, especially for LCCs and regional operators. For some airlines, any investment in connectivity is still years away – and we have well-proven offline solutions for them,” said James Macrae, CTO of Bluebox. “Now, we’re able to offer a happy medium – all the power of Blueview, boosted by the ability for airlines to increase revenue with more onboard sales in a secure retail environment, thanks to live payment validation.”
Ron Chapman, president of FFLYA, added that the single patch antenna eliminates an issue the company found with window antennae, which is that there can be a 60-degree blind spot above larger aircraft, which can result in a high failure rate of transactions due to the unique time and data requirements of live retail payment validation. Installation of the antenna with a single cabling and partition can be done overnight, minimising the time the aircraft is out of service.
The FFLYA patch antenna is an Iridium aviation certified Certus antenna. At 3 inches, and a footprint identical to a GPS antenna, the company claims it has zero drag. An STC is available for Airbus A320 family aircraft, and FFLYA has plans underway for the Boeing 737 series.
